Sydney pastor slams anti-gay marriage campaign

The Greens have slammed the Anglican and Catholic churches' anti-gay marriage campaign.

Daniel Munoz: Reuters

A Sydney Baptist Church pastor has spoken out against an anti-gay marriage letter that was read to some Christian parishioners on Sunday morning.

The heads of the Catholic, Anglican and Greek Orthodox churches addressed Sydney church goers, reading a letter to parishioners in a coordinated campaign ahead of further parliamentary discussion on the issue this week.

But Pastor Mike Hercock from the Surry Hills Baptist Church says it is simply fear-mongering.

He says Christians should be able to make decisions for themselves.

"Of the various churches that will have that statement read out in their pulpits from Baptist churches, Anglicans and Catholic, how many of them will have an opportunity to respond to an alternative perspective?" he said.

Of the various churches that will have that statement read out in their pulpits from Baptist churches, Anglicans and Catholic, how many of them will have an opportunity to respond to an alternative perspective?

Pastor Mike Hercock

"It will be clergy down. And yet we know that Christians have the ability to make their minds up for themselves."

The head of the Greek Orthodox Church has written to his congregation saying that altering the traditional form of marriage is, in his view, against the sacredness of marriage and of the family as taught by the Christian faith.

Sydney's Anglican Archbishop Peter Jensen says the campaign is about defending the institution of marriage for all.

"It's one of the fundamentals of the whole of our civilisation and any change to the legislation about marriage is going to impact everybody," he said.